Richard meets Artemis
The pleasant warmth of summer was slowly vanishing. Cold winds were beginning to ebb at the borders of the Society, but the cloudy skies cast little more than chilling breezes upon the building. It wasn't an overly unpleasant day, merely drab, plain. In this season, a person might gaze out of their window longingly, and to the one who had observed, it was easy to notice a regular visitor that never made it past the doors. He'd been coming and leaving for a few days by now, and the routine was strange, if nothing else: the man would go as far as the doorsteps, but as soon as he would bring his hand to knock upon the doors, his confidence - and his fixed smile - would vanish. Hastily, he would turn on his heels and make his way back down the streets. He'd be back the next day. He always was. And he was here now; he stared up at the imposing building with a hopeful smile, stray curls drifting in and out of his view. Slowly, he stepped forth, a beat passing before he gingerly applies a knock against the door. Tairais: Stifling yet another yawn, Richard popped his neck as his boots tapped out a meandering rhythm through the halls of the Society. Lost in his thoughts as he was, he almost didn't hear the syncopation of someone knocking on the door. Pivoting on his his heel, he faced the door and tilted his head in a gesture more animal than human, then frowned slightly, as if to ask 'Now why would you do that?' He straightened his posture after a moment lingering over the feeling of déjà vu before adopting a slight limp to silence the slight 'tink' of his metallic footsteps. He chided himself for leaving his apron and cane upstairs: the former of which hid the slight bump where metal met flesh above his knee, the latter of which made it easier to walk 'normally'.Mentally shrugging off as much of his trepidation, he crossed the room and opened the door after fastening his scarf more securely around his neck. He vaguely recognized the man that stood before him and stifled a smile and a dry comment about courage, instead standing straight and infusing slight warmth into his voice. He did his best to ignore the slightly raspy quality of it; That was likely due to last night's dreams. "Labądien, signore. M-may I b-be of assistance?" Lacking the usual security of his cane, his clasped his hands behind his back somewhat tensely and tried to enjoy the pleasant day. Decipherer: The man's smile only brightens at Richard, never pausing to consider that someone might recognize his face's faint similarity to Elias'. He folds his hands politely and starts with a cheerful tone of voice, "Hi there! I was wondering if a mister Elias Castellanos was staying here? The help is really appreciated, sir." Tairais: Something about the man seemed familiar, but his skills lay in the recognizing details of his surroundings and machinery, less so people. When he mentioned Elias' name, a faint, fond smile curled the corners of his eyes. "I had the p-pleasure of m-meeting him.. I b-believe it was earlier t-this w-week, t-though my p-perception of t-time is skewed a-at the best of times. T-to answer y-your question, h-he is indeed." It didn't occur to him to invite the other man inside, nor to ask his business with Elias. He'd blame that on the lack of tea in his system later. Decipherer: A small titter passes his lips, almost sharing in the fondness. His voice seems to increase in speed as he talks, "If it's not too much trouble, could you perhaps notify him that Artemis is here? Or if you could direct me to him. I do hope I'm not interrupting anything!" Tairais: Richard held up a hand in a placating gesture, the smile in the corners of his eyes deepening with amusement. "All is w-well, you are i-interrupting nothing as f-far as I know.. H-however, I m-must confess I d-do not know w-where in the building h-he is currently l-located." For a single heartbeat, he let his gaze turn distant and cold as he calculated the odds of this newcomer causing too terrible an amount of trouble, and the chances of any sort of shady business. He would be a poor friend indeed if he didn't do his part to keep the few he had safe. Finding the odds satisfactory, he smiled once more and stepped aside, gesturing towards the interior of the building. "I-if y-you would l-like, we can l-look for him t-together Signore...?" Perhaps not the most graceful way of asking a name, but he'd done worse. At least this time he didn't punch the man he was asking the name of. He had a feeling that would be terribly rude, and that simply wouldn't do. Decipherer: The man offers a wide, pleasant grin, nodding to Richard with a small laugh as he steps forward. "Artemis Geovanni, sir! That would be delightful! I'm here to deliver a message, you see, simply fami-- ...fam..." His voice dies out as he lays his eyes upon the magnificent foyer, and he looks around with a blissful smile. "Oh... oh, my goodness gracious." (( Notable Thing Doodle Forgot To Mention #618: Arty's accent is hard to place as well, but it's a lot less thick. It's got more English than Greek, unlike his brother's. )) Tairais: "R-richard P-prince." He chuckled softly at the look on Artemis' face. "'G-goodness gracious d-does seem t-to be t-the appropriate r-response, d-does it n-not?" Richard's mind was partly occupied with the unfinished 'family' in that sentence, thoughts darting and leaping like so many stained-glass-butterflies and sparks of intuition. Hopefully nothing unfortunate had happened, and hopefully he was not about to start some sort of dramatic sequence of events. There were all too many similarities in this situation- Hell, he was wearing the same clothes in some of those memories. He waited for a minute or so before clearing his throat gently. "I-I suppose t-the kitchen w-would be as g-good a place t-to start as any, yes? I-if you will f-follow me.." Trusting Artemis wouldn't want to get lost in an unfamiliar building and follow him, he began to walk/limp towards one of his favorite rooms in the Society. Decipherer: Artemis does indeed follow after him, clearing his throat after a moment. "Right! Yes, of course!" He continues his babbling, "Anyway, um, so -- yes! I do need to pass on some information to him, but it's a dull little thing, really." Tairais: Richard smiled and chuckled again. "I s-somehow f-feel t-that a message t-that took s-so m-many attempts j-just to arrive at t-the door, n-never mind t-the fact w-we have y-yet to find Elias, i-is a 'dull l-little thing,' as you said." He coughed sheepishly, backpedaling slightly. "N-not t-to be rude, of c-course. M-merely an observation." Decipherer: Artemis' eyes widen, and he lets out another small chuckle, his cheeks slowly pinking. "Oh, right, that!" He hardly seems shaken, though, and smiles through this fact. "Oh no, you're really fine! I suppose it was just a nervous thing, after all. It's been years, heh." Tairais: Richard hummed softly. "Still. A-at any r-rate, I am s-sure all w-will be well." As they turned the corner to the kitchen, he slowed to walk beside Artemis rather than in front, as he had been, not entirely sure what possessed him to do so. He nodded at the doorway to the kitchen to distinguish it from the many other entrances in the hallway. Decipherer: Artemis pokes his head inside the doorway, scanning the area. Elias isn't there. He looks back towards Richard, but his smile remains fixed, though perhaps slightly less eager. "I'm afraid he's not in the kitchen." Tairais: Richard nods. "V-very well. My apologies, t-the kitchen w-was simply closer. I b-believe his room w-was... this way." He hoped his memory was working well; Numbers and names were fond of swapping at times. He was relieved, then, when he didn't get the pair of them lost in the hallways of the Society. He stopped a few paces from Elias' door, nodding to it in turn. "T-this one, I b-believe. If h-he's not in there.. well, I h-have a f-few more ideas." Hopefully he was, though. The more rooms he wandered to, the greater his chance of getting lost, and that wouldn't be fun for either of them. Decipherer: Artemis briefly smiles at him in a warm way. "Thank you so much, Mister Prince!" He turns to face the door after this, and very cautiously knocks against the surface. There is no noise behind the door. ... As soon as Artemis moves to knock again, annoyed and bitter grumbling sounds from within the room, as well as a few choice swear words. The door swings open a mere heartbeat later, to reveal a very sleepy and disheveled Elias, his unbothered hair even more unkempt than usual, several buttons on his undershirt done improperly. "I'm very busy, would you come back later-- " He freezes up as his words escape him, his face paling at the sight of the two men. "A-- Arty? What-- how did you..." His throat closes and he slowly looks towards Richard. "Did you bring him? I don't underst-" He is abruptly cut off as Artemis pulls Elias into a tight hug, small, happy giggles leaving his lips. "I absolutely knew it! I knew you'd be here!" Tairais: Richard very carefully kept his emotions from showing on his face despite the flashes of nervousness threatening to poke through at the conflict of emotions between the two brothers. In response to Elias, he merely nodded and retreated a few more steps, so as to not impose. He wasn't entirely sure if he should leave, stay, apologize for being a disturbance or some combination thereof. It was easier to see they were related now that they were together, he thought. He was also fully aware his mind was trying to think of anything but the current situation. Decipherer: Elias, too, lets out a small laugh, and though reluctantly at first, he accepts and returns the hug. Artemis twists to observe Richard, and suddenly grabs his hand, pulling him towards the embrace with a bright smile. "Thank you." Tairais: Richard froze for several moments as he fought off the waves of''Nonononono'' and feelings of centipedes crawling through his skin that came with the sensation of an uninvited and unprepared-for touch. Eventually, though, he relaxed, and even allowed a small chuckle to escape. "A-ah. Y-you are w-welcome, o-of c-course." Decipherer: Elias pokes his head out from the embrace and pulls away slowly, looking towards both Richard and Artemis. "How did you find me?" He fixes his gaze onto Richard, but it's unclear as to if he's addressing him or Artemis. "Did you know him or something?" Tairais: "H-he k-knocked. I answered. I d-did n-not know him u-until now." Richard gingerly stepped back and wrapped his arms around himself for half a second, trying to chase off the worst of the feeling. His hand twitched slightly, and he frowned in irritation. "Must you..?" He muttered. Decipherer: Elias considers the answer, before being seemingly satisfied. "Oh, uh... right." Artemis grins eagerly. "Can I come in?" Elias nods, opening the door wider and gesturing inside the room, but both men pause and look towards Richard. Elias offers somewhat hesitantly, "Would you like to join us, Richard?" Tairais: Richard shifted on his feet uncertainly, eyes darting away nervously, as they often did. "I-I.. What a-are t-the words.. It i-is a f-familial m-matter, I am n-not s-so certain, nor d-do I wish t-to intrude." He took a slight step backwards, wringing his hands behind his back. He reached a decision after another moment's thought and smiled softly. "I-I will l-leave y-you t-two to g-get.. r-reacquainted." With that, he turned on his heel and began to walk quickly down the hall, this time forgetting to hide the quiet thuds of his leg. Decipherer: Both brothers look rather guiltily upon Richard as he makes his leave. Obtained From Gray Skies and Purple Guys Category:Side Story Category:Introduction Stories Category:Haunting Pasts